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by bre.laverne
Summary: Violet can remember, and it's killing her, again. **Oneshot, inspired by "For Everything a Reason" By Carina Round


The memories had come back weeks ago, striking her down like a bullet, the wind knocked out of her, leaving her breathless, heaving on the carpet in her bedroom, bile crawling up her stomach like flies, her veins buzzing, vision tunneling around the wavy lines of her bedpost. It flashed like broken movie, burning at her mind until she could feel screams tearing out of her throat, her fingers breaking half moons into her palms, blood trickling onto the floor.

_The lull of sleep, black, soft as silk on her limbs, the slow chug of her heart in her ears, pounding out a morose tune against her throat, dwindling. The room _

_was blurry between her eyelids, soft, glowing, warm. her limbs were heavy, it was as if she was swimming in blood, her life trickling away before her eyes, _

_the weight of the smile crossing her lips too much to bear. It followed her, the dark, cooing and stroking, whispering to her as she dwindled, like a candle, _

_she could see herself dying, her hands withering before her eyes, fuzzy. It got darker as it got closer, the darkness, brushing the tears off her cheeks with _

_the soft touch of a mother, her eyes sinking shut as warmth swallowed her limbs, rocking her down into sleep, down into darkness._

_His bright shadow, pulling her out of the warmth, into the burning pain of light, her skin tingling, nerves on fire, crawling like maggots up her skin. Her mind _

_begged him to leave her, but her throat was still, calm. It had hit her like fire, the ice water smashing her skull, her soul crawling further down to hide from _

_it, burning in the back of her throat. His hands like daggers on her . Then it was gone, the soft, warmth sliding her back into that dark place, latching _

_on to her soul and sucking the breath from it._

The nightmares started soon after, racking her with terror, and she woke in screaming fits, her mother waking her too late every time, and every time she had to feel it. Her soul died every night,stripped from her body by the smooth grip of the darkness, and she could feel the hole when she woke, like a mortal wound, burning and ripping when she moved. Until at last, she couldn't move, her hands wrapped tight around her legs to keep the light inside of her.

It was then he came to her, his shadow wrapping around her like a balm, his hands quivering, inches above her cheek, yet she could feel them like hot ice on her skin. He was afraid to touch her, his blonde hair falling over his eyes, his other hand wedged in his pocket, as if she was pulling him in, and he had no hope of escape.

"Violet"

It was I love you and I'm sorry rolled up into one choked up, broken word that seemed to be the only thing he could say. He whispered it, his hand brushing her cheek, fire sparking in her veins as he did so, her body fighting the dark.

As if waking from a trance she looked at him, wonder and fear washing in her eyes like a storm, dark and quick before it faded, her pupils sinking like the dead, and she looked away, her cheek falling against the soft clutch of her pillow.

It was enough.

He touched her cheek again, begging her to forgive him, though all he said was her name, over and over, until Hayden and Vivian and Chad had come up to inspect the waxing and waning of his voice, breaking and cracking, decaying like an old house, over and over until they left, sadness wallowing even in those who didn't like the lost girl, over and over until the house itself began to churn, the depths of its soul repulsed by his unfaltering reverie. And it let her go, the last time he could say her name, his throat bleeding, whispers crawling from its depths, echoes of screams that had echoed before.

"Violet" the last time was quiet, broken.

She turned to face him, loathing and scorn and sadness welling in her eyes as he touched her cheek, tracing her lips with the pad of his thumb. He could see the weakness in her, her light filling half the space it used to, her throat raw from crying, her mind numb from remembering.

Coughing up his own blood he smiled, his hands on her cheeks, bending until his lips touched her ear.

"You know" he whispered, stroking her cheeks, "greek mythology says that people were born with eight limbs, and two heads, but Zeus was scared of them, so he cut them in half and sent them away, to wander the earth in search of the rest of themselves. You're the rest of my body Violet, my heart and my head and my body are yours, and you are mine." His smile was crooked, tears swimming in his crystalline eyes, limping down his pale cheeks.

She said nothing, her hand shaking as she reached up to wrap her hand around his, a tear spilling onto her cheek.

Trembling, he met her eyes with surprise, his hand gripping hers to the point of pain.

He climbed like an old man into her bed, wrapping his arms around her, her soul sapping his, his arms tight on around her waist, his head resting against her neck.

"I love you" He whispered, like an admission of guilt, and he felt guilt, hot in his stomach as he held her, guilty for loving her, when he'd done nothing to earn her, guilty for hurting her, guilty for ruining her family, for everything. He sobbed into her hair, their bodies shaking as she turned to wrap her arms around him, sobbing into his chest.

"I love you too" Guilt racked her voice, her sorrow tearing at his chest like an axe. She shouldn't love him, he was evil, he was wrong. But she loved him, and she was good enough to make light for the both of them, though as he held her it was his light that spilled into her form, healing her ravaged soul.

He said nothing else, letting her wax and wane against his chest until she was as empty as the sea, salty and deep and whole, her body knitting back together.

"I forgive you" It lay soft on the air, her forgiveness sweet in his ears. His hands tightened around her, clutching her thin form like life itself lay in his arms.

He shook like a child in her hold, gripping her like she would slip through his arms at any moment.

His lips met hers, her heart fluttering her chest just like it had the first time he kissed her, her arms wrapping around him.

"Violet" He smiled as her said it, his eyes meeting hers, a smile hiding deep in his eyes, "My Violet" brushing hair out off her cheek he kissed her again, holding her as if he'd do it forever.


End file.
